Opinion: Young Latinos See Unity, Hope in Standing Rock Protests

Torres identifies as Taíno, an indigenous people in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. She says Standing Rock is important to her because she sees her own people in the plight of the northern tribes.

"My indigeneity flows in my veins, can be heard in the words and music of my peoples of the island of Puerto Rico," she said. "It is a testament to the strength of my island that, like Standing Rock, is being exploited for its resources as an extension of settler colonialism."

This is the new burgeoning consciousness that Standing Rock has helped to solidify behind a common cause. It is a consciousness that takes intersectionality into account, does not divorce environmental justice from race, and does not compromise with colonialism. And it has proven that a movement with such a consciousness can win.